The Governor’s plan makes big cuts to climate change and housing programs, along with school facilities. It defers dollars for early childhood education grants and public transit systems. It also reduces funding for watershed resilience programs that are important to the environment. I wouldn’t have made these cuts.

To close the budget gap, I would first utilize some of the rainy day funds, just as the Governor has proposed. Next I would ask for a review of corporate tax breaks and ensure that the largest, profitable corporations in California and the wealthy are paying their fair share. Finally, if more dollars are needed, I would make equal cuts across the board so that the budget pain was shared by all. The Assembly needs to exercise fiscal restraint and spending oversight of the budget.

We need to get people off the street and into some sort of shelter with wrap around social services. The Assembly should fund Project Turnkey, a program for local governments to purchase and rehabilitate hotels, motels, apartment buildings and vacant properties for the unhoused. We must set a priority that veterans and children with their adult caretakers should receive services first. I’ll bring together representatives from the County and the six cities in our region to share information and better collaborate on addressing homelessness. I’ll ask for more accountability and transparency to make sure our state dollars are well spent.

I support California Proposition 1 to take people with severe mental illness off the street and into treatment. Finally, the Assembly should provide local governments dollars to help folks who are on the edge of homelessness so they don’t become homeless.

We need to provide consequences for bad behavior. Anyone who is stealing from a retail store should be prosecuted. There shouldn’t be a dollar limit that allows shoplifters to steal without consequences. According to the Attorney General website, much of the “smash and grab” retail theft can be traced back to organized crime.

We need to protect vulnerable businesses from this growing retail theft problem. Regarding fentanyl, I was a drug and alcohol counselor for four years and I saw the destruction drug addiction can have on individuals and families.

People who are addicted to drugs need treatment, but I put drug dealers in another category. I’ll support stronger penalties for drug dealers who are dealing fentanyl.